NYE 2014

TRY A NEW ONE ON: Out with the old, in with the new. In just a few blinks, 2014 will be history, and we'll be all about 2015. 

I liked this Tweet from @marktibbets today, "Happy new cultural gravitational orbital period enumeration of an iron cored oblate spheroid rock around a cosmic thermonuclear reactor!"

Yes - what he said!

CRITTER SITTER: We've been checking in on the welfare of three creatures for a family member. The menagerie includes a lizard, a fish, and a cat.

Thankfully, so far, everyone's still breathing on our watch. :)

BIRD BRAINED: We decided to get crafty this afternoon and try to make a couple of models from the kit "Beautiful Paper Birds" the kids received as a neat-o Christmas gift. 

Two things became apparent pretty quickly: This was not going to be easy. Or quick. But, as I pointed out to the kids, most amazing things are neither quick nor easy, but they're worth working for. And so, they soldiered on. 

During the process, one of the things we had to review was the difference between a mountain fold and a valley fold.

They didn't come close to finishing the bluebirds today, but that's OK. There's always tomorrow. And the next day. :)  

While they were working, Annabelle requested some inspirational music. CJ immediately suggested Paul McCartney & Wings' "Bluebird." Good idea, CJ!

Imagine our surprise when, at the end of the recorded-live video, Paul said, "See ya next time, Seattle!"

We also listened to "Blue Bird" by Ikimono Garaki. Entirely in Japanese, it was super upbeat and a fun listen.

And we also had to listen to good ol' Buffalo Springfield's "Bluebird." Love the banjo at the end. 

SPEAKING OF MUSIC: Last night we (gasp!) took a break from football and watched a couple of recorded-live concerts on Palladia.

The first was Nirvana, recorded on Halloween night at the Paramount theater in Seattle, 1991. THAT, my friends, was a flat out rock show. Wow. Just the three of them tearing it up. No wonder they changed the face of the music scene. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" never sounded better. Almost makes me miss my mosh pit days. ;)


Up next was the Flaming Lips performing Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." The concert was recorded at the Hangout Festival in Alabama in 2012. While I would MUCH rather watch Pink Floyd perform that music, it was interesting to watch other artists' takes on it. IMHO, the Flaming Lips' presentation was overly art-school theatrical, trying too hard to be trippy. I don't think DSotM requires any kind of antics. The music *is* the show. Here's a link to a short promo the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7rDrVaNdLo#t=25

And I'm not gonna lie - I liked the Flaming Lips lots better before their lead singer, Wayne, (inexplicably) became BFFs with Miley Cyrus. I think they are bound by their mutual adoration of marijuana. 

NOTE CARDS:  We're still slogging away at guitar, without benefit of 'real' lessons. (Thank goodness for the magic of the Internet.)

Yesterday, as we were plugging through John Legend's "All of Me," it occurred to me that  it would be really nice to have a quick, easy to read visual representations of the chords required for that and any song. After sleeping on it, this morning I struck upon the idea of note cards with chord formations on them. I figured someone had done it before (they have) and searched online. However, I wasn't willing to buy said cards from anyone, so I started whipping up some of our own.

I started by making a blank guitar neck/fretboard. Then, I added the string names.  And then it was time to start plugging in finger positions and denoting open and unplayed (x) strings

I made multiples of each chord (for verses and the chorus), and printed them on cardstock. 

Then, it was simply a matter of arranging them in the order they're played in the song. 

There are a whole bunch more chords to go, but it's a good start!

New Year's Eve Eve

                                   

                                                                                      Image: Gamewright                             
LOSING STREAK:  It was a very game-y Christmas for us. Two new Fluxx games, Forbidden Island, a couple of Pandemic expansions, Imperial Settlers, Rush Hour,  ... I'm sure I'm leaving something out.

We've been playing them, one by one, and at this point I'm feeling rather defeated when it comes to the cooperative games. We were absolutely decimated by outbreaks in Pandemic, and we haven't come close to beating Forbidden Island. Fortunately, it's still fun and games, and we learn something every time we play/lose.

Guess we'll have to keep at it and hope for better outcomes in the near future. 

MUSICAL AFTERNOON:  We test drove the kids' new "Just Dance 2015" today. Exercise came in the form of dancing to tunes like "What Does the Fox Say?," "Dark Horse," "Let it Go," and even the "Macarena" - how's that last one for a flashback?

Afterward, we dusted off the guitars and took a hack at John Legend's huge hit, "All of Me." Fortunately, we had a great YouTube tutorial by to follow along with by a woman with the handle for3v3rfaithful. I think her tutorial is the best of the dozens and dozens we've used. She breaks things down into bite sized pieces and teaches techniques to really improve the sound (rather than just mashing one's way through with sloppy chords). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY1b4nhvhoQ


TOP TEN: NASA posted a list of 10 terrific things that happened in space-flight this year. One was the first ever Vine (short video social media/sharing) from space, submitted by astronaut Reid Wiseman. It's a 92-minute orbit of Earth in 6 seconds

https://vine.co/v/MD1eEQEjM9u

Other mentions included the public's amazing response to #GlobalSelfie day, Orion's test flight, the fact that the ISS has served as an outpost for humans for over 5,200 days now, and several more. Read the story for yourself here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/nasa/10-awesome-things-that-happened-in-space-in-2014-hwrm?utm_term=.uiv889VGg&sub=3561766_4582919

Monday Musings

HOME RUN: After enjoying Christmas afield, we spent Saturday making the 300-mile trek back home. With six living creatures in the car, it meant making many a "comfort" stop!

We have started unpacking and finding new homes for new acquisitions, taking down some of the Christmas decorations, and getting back to a "normal," pre-holiday routine. 

We made time today to take the dogs and ourselves for a walk in the crisp, clear air.

The Olympics and Cascades all have a fresh coat of snow on them. Snow pretty!

LEFTOVERS:  I still have a few shots to share from our field trip toward the Oregon Coast.

On Friday afternoon, the kids and a cousin had a nice Nerf battle at Twin Bridges Park in Lincoln County, Ore. It's two, shady, forested acres along the Siletz River. 

The park was full of big ferns and moss-covered trees and made for a good battleground. 

There were a few mushrooms underfoot. This one looked like a miniature birdbath!

And there, we saw something we'd never seen before - a fishing line recycling station.

Oh, and I just *had* to include a photo from a sea feast on our last night on the road. Look at this mountain o' crab!   Our compliments to the chefs! 

 Annabelle dug right in. CJ, not so much. Maybe next time. :)

SOARING SEAHAWKS:  We took four hours out of our Sunday to watch the Seahawks battle for homefield advantage in the NFL playoffs. We're happy to report, the 'Hawks did not disappoint!

We're looking forward to Jan, 10, when the Seahawks will take on an NFC opponent!

ASTRONAUT MUSINGS:  We watched a video this morning featuring Col. Chris Hadfield talking about how it's easy to get mired in the "what's wrong," but pointing out a number of positive things in our world, with a mind toward making new, positive resolutions for the New Year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPa4tzI4dYU&feature=youtu.be

I've asked the kids what, if any, resolutions they have for the upcoming year. Right away, Annabelle said to get her book finished. CJ is still ruminating on the topic. 

Yultide

CHRISTMAS DAY:  Another Christmas come and gone. We spent part of the day ocean side. It's always great to see the powerful Pacific Ocean.

Yesterday was one of those four-seasons-in-five-minutes type of weather days. When we arrived at the beach, a beautiful rainbow was arcing overhead.

But as you can see here, there were also some rather menacing looking storm clouds in the area.

The walkway down to the beach at Don Davis Memorial Park includes several memorials to the Vietnam War.

Down by the beach, we stopped to check out some super interesting rock formations. 

 We were wishing Uncle Jim the geologist was along, so we'd have a better idea of what we were looking at.

There was an interesting assortment of people on the beach, including a woman with a bag of bread, surrounded by seagulls, and a woman sitting on a blanket, drinking a bottle of champagne, while her Chihuahua barked incessantly at everyone/thing.

The kids used the wide open space to get some Nerf war action in. 

And, of course, we stopped to contemplate the crashing waves.

The kids were happy that Santa found them, despite them being hundreds of miles from home. 

Of course, how could he miss this glorious tree?!

So pretty!

Happy faces on Christmas morning. Merry, merry, everyone!

Christmas Eve!

SANTA'S COMING TONIGHT: Here it is, another Christmas Eve. The year 2014 is winding down, and Santa is on his globe trotting circuit. The kids ate their last chocolate from their IKEA advent calendars today. 

We've been making our way over the rivers and to the woods for a couple of days now. Last night, we stopped in Wilsonville, where we enjoyed a dinner with family at the Wilsonville McMenamins, a neat space in a converted old church. 

Today, it was back on the road again, south and west, toward the Oregon Coast. Along the way we stopped at another McMenamins, this time, in Corvallis (home of the Oregon State University). 

This McMenamins had kind of an English countryside pub look and feel. (In case you're wondering why all the McMenamins stops, we're trying to collect stamps in our McMenamins' passports, earning prizes along the way.)

Annabelle looked the same in both of the McMenamins we visited. ;)

Tonight before bedtime, we checked in with the Santa trackers at NORAD. Santa had already delivered 5.5 billion presents and was working his way westward. He'd already been to the nation's capital! http://youtu.be/SnS5klLapKQ

Season's Greetings

MERRY MAKING:  This weekend was all about some last minute shopping, and taking part in some holiday traditions we've come to enjoy in Seattle.

One must was a visit to Swanson's Nursery. We've been going there for years now to see their live reindeer and Curly the camel.

The reindeer we up and active, unlike some of our visits in years past. 

And Curly looked to be hungry, munching the entire time we stood watching.

We couldn't help but notice the guy could use a good dentist.

We also checked out Swanson's miniature railroad display. It was cute, as always.

We all loved Godzilla's guest appearance in the scene.

Monday afternoon we headed to Seattle Center to see the coolest Santa in the galaxy, Space Needle Santa. 

We were happy that Rick and Kennedy could join us, since they are on winter break this week!  Here they all are purposely making dorky smiles for the tourist camera before you board the elevator to the Observation Deck.

Once up there, we were surprised to find Santa was on a 'hot chocolate break.' 

So, we killed some time looking around,  We looked at factoid-filled displays inside ... 

and, of course, we made a couple of loops outside.

It was a hazy kind of day, but it was pretty, in kind of an eerie way. And it was so mild! Not a wisp of wind, and warm enough that none of us were wearing coats.

Annabelle and CJ each used telescopes to survey some sights.

Here's what EMP (Experience Music Project) looks like from on high.

Santa eventually appeared on the scene, and the kids enjoyed their visit with him.

Tonight, we celebrated an early Christmas with the big boys, G&G and a family friend and tomorrow, we take our show on the road. 

MEANWHILE, AT NORAD: If you haven't already, you should check out the latest goings on at North American Aerospace Defense Command, where this time of year, they are very busy tracking all the goings on at the North Pole and all things Santa.

Their Web site, http://www.noradsanta.org, has games, movies, music, a library, and more to peruse. 

And here's a nice story from NPR about how NORAD got into the Santa tracking business to begin with - a typo and a good sport!: http://www.npr.org/2014/12/19/371647099/norads-santa-tracker-began-with-a-typo-and-a-good-sport

Fit for an Elf

BUDDY BREAKFAST:  Today started out a little crazy. While I was in the shower, CJ came upstairs and called at me, "Can we have the Buddy breakfast this morning?"

Ugh. Yes. That. What was I thinking promising him we could do that today?

"Yes," I called. "Tell your dad to put some boiling water on."

After I got out of the shower CJ called upstairs saying, "Dad said 'No.' "

I yelled downstairs that I'd promised CJ that was his breakfast today (he'd been asking for a couple of weeks now), and on the pot of water went. 

The breakfast is inspired by Buddy the elf, from CJ's favorite Christmas movie, "Elf." Buddy really, Really, REALLY likes sugar (it's an elf thing, apparently). He's forever pouring maple syrup into and onto things, and in once scene in the movie he makes breakfast. The ingredients? Spaghetti, and the items pictured below.

Once the noodles were done, the kids poured maple syrup on. LOTS of maple syrup, 'cause that's how ya do it.

Next up? Sprinkles. Because sprinkles make EVERYTHING better!

Then it was time for some mini marshmallows and a liberal serving of Hershey's chocolate syrup.

Atop that: A handful of M&Ms, of course. 

And to top it all off, a Chocolate Fudge Pop Tart crumbled on top. 

Isn't it glorious? (insert gagging noises here)

Bee got two bites into it and called it good. I had to steal the plate away from CJ after about four or five bites. He would have eaten it all (shudder, shudder). 

So there, we've done it, and now we don't have to ever do it again. Until maybe next year. ;)

MARKER MAKER:  We took a field trip to Capitol Hill today, and while there, visited the very interesting Value Village in the neighborhood. (It's on three stories, in a decrepit old building full of interesting shoppers and employees.)

Annabelle spied a Crayola Marker Maker kit on a shelf in the toy section. Per Amazon, it's $40 for a brand new one. We paid $2.99 for a darn near new one! (Annabelle went through it carefully in the store, and saw the kit was intact, so score!)

Once we got home, she got right to production, carefully reading the directions and lining out the equipment. 

There was a color chart in the kit, and using their formulas, she was able to produce some pretty colored pens. It required careful measuring.

When the 'formula' was ready, she dipped an absorbent swab into it. It wicked up the color, and then the swab was transferred to the marker tube, in which she'd already inserted a nib. 

The marker was then capped, and voila! Custom colored marker!

A pretty eggplant was her first creation. 

We even experimented with my commercial grade food colorings, and made an edible ink marker!

DEAL O' THE DAY: Look at the book we scored for 99 cents at Value Village today! Super cool - and by the publishers at Scientific American, no less. 

And once CJ and Annabelle read it, we'll donate it to Rick's third grade classroom, so other kids can enjoy it.

SPACEX POSTPONED:  No fresh fruit or Christmas presents for the astronauts on board the ISS. Today, SpaceX announced their cargo resupply mission is postponed until January. Bummer!  They cited So we'll have to wait until 2015 Well, the big ol'